Stepping In His Shadow
by Rai-Mun
Summary: The fact that she could not think of a specific reason as to why she had insisted on flying down – Headlong and stubborn as always – All the way to the state of Wisconsin was lost on her, although the one coherent thought in her head did tell her that...


**Title**: Stepping In His Shadow  
**Fandom**: Danny Phantom  
**Characters**: Valerie Gray / Masters And Plasmius  
**Pairings**: Misplaced Fate (One Sided) / Passing Mention of Gray Ghost  
**Rating**: M  
**Genre**: Romance / Drama  
**Word Count**: 2004  
**Catch Line**: It was surprisingly easy to look past the ghost once one knew of the human behind it, and now was no exception, no different from any other moment, whether it was truth or just fiction in her head. Because in the end, she had irrevocably, unconditionally, unforgivably fallen in love with…  
**Summary**: The fact that she could not think of a specific reason as to why she had insisted on flying down – Headlong and stubborn as always – All the way to the state of Wisconsin was lost on her, although the one coherent thought in her head did tell her that it was all she could do to keep her sanity intact. VgxVm  
**Timeline**: A few weeks after the events of "Reign Storm"  
**Warnings**: Language / Violence / Valerie's Stubborn Bullheadedness / Vlad Masters' Mass Amounts of Sexiness / The Authoress' Combined Infatuation With The Huntress And The Halfa  
**Disclaimer**: Danny Phantom belongs to the awesomeness that is Butch Hartman, and not to the fangirlishness that is moi. The sick and contrived plot of this story, however… Well, that belongs to me, and not to Butch Hartman. But you already knew that, right?  
**Notes**: Because I love Valerie, and because I love Vlad. And because I love this pairing, and because I see so much wasted potential in it. Valerie, as I have noticed, seems easily enough to sway if one knows how to play with her heartstrings, and if there's anything Vlad knows how to do it's to manipulate peoples' emotions. And the fact that I really believe they could work out, if both parties pitch in. Ignoring the furious Danny who now wants to strangle me, I think this may be one of the more plausible straight pairings in the show. Of course, you'll have to remember that I'm the same chick who blindly supports the three way battle between Clockwork, Nicholai Technus, and Ghostwriter over one very pretty and very sexy Jasmine Fenton. :P Up next, expect something with Bad Boy 13 and his pretty Biker Chick. 333  
**Coming Up Next**: He would never understand how he had allowed himself to be ushered into the small dark Psychiatrist's Office by a blue eyed youth with Ghost Powers, but now that he was here, he found he couldn't take his eyes of the redhead doctor sitting cross-legged on his lap.  
**Listening To**: "Shooting Star" – Hale / "Don't Say You Love Me" – The Corrs / "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" – Death Cab For Cutie / "Broken Sonnet" – Hale

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She never did like letting her feelings show.

It had been a hindrance all throughout her old High School life, and it was being a hindrance in her new life as the most renowned Ghost Hunter in Amity Park. Granted, she was still in High School, still a child who's overbearing but well meaning father was constantly opposing her desire for spectral justice, still a teenager who's feelings about a certain wonderful blue eyed boy was giving her more of a headache now than the butterflies in her stomach that thinking about him used to give.

Even the ghosts she fought so desperately after mocked her, calling her weak and paying no heed to her immediate presence. It was bad enough that that damnable Ghost Boy had revealed her identity to her father, all concern for her privacy waylaid like so much nothing, bad enough that the fucking green eyed spirit had taken her pride and glory like they were some stinking prize to bait her with, bad enough that the accursed Phantom had bashed her life of riches and dreams of infamy against the ground and danced upon the shattered remains of her spirit.

She would be damned if she showed anymore feelings.

She would be fucking damned.

So why was it then, that she was out here, adorned in scarlet technology and racing away against the bleak night sky despite her father's voiced outrage and not too hidden concern, speeding through the hemisphere on a one way trip to the state of Wisconsin…?

Because the one person left on the entire mother fucking planet lived there, in a castle decorated in hues of green and gold. It would have been such a laughable predicament if it hadn't been her predicament, and while the growing change in the landscape bellow her and the dancing colors of the sky above her did little to ease her anxiety, the though of what was waiting for her at her destination made her feel somewhat ill. Pressed low on her metallic glider, she forced her tired body to stay alert, willed her weary senses to keep vigilant. The Ghost Boy had a knack for turning up uninvited, and she had seen him here before, and back home, with the one called the Wisconsin Ghost.

Now this woman – This girl – Was no coward, heaven knows this to be true, but she had little desire to face off against the vampiric ghost. She had seen the difficulty the white haired Phantom had in dealing wit him, and knew despite her bitter resentment and heated opposition, that she would never come close to putting so much as a scratch on him.

She hated them all with a passion. All of them, every single one of them. And she didn't just direct all this fiery hate at the ghosts exclusively, no – She hated the whole world, and hated everyone who ever doubted her and everyone who ever judged her wrongly. From the shallow crowd of teenage bullies and future failures lead by the very definition of the words "Failure" and "Shallow" to the so called friends the only person who had moved her heart kept company with, she had grown to hate them all. On one hand, they were the people who would never see past her family's fall from grace and their eventual decline to lower middleclass, that poor little girl who'd daddy lost his job – Though this was changing, because of the benevolence of the person she was heading so desperately to – And had little to nothing in the way of all things "cool".

She snorted angrily. What the hell made owning four fucking cell phones "cool"?

And on the other hand there where those people who held her in high ass contempt, the people she had been less than kind to in the past – Alright, so she had been downright terrible towards them. But she was changing, wouldn't they at least consider that? – With the ever glaring particularity that took the form of an angry Goth wannabe. What her beef was with her, she would never know. Although she had gotten the very distinct feeling that the dark girl wanted what she had, and by wanted what she had she meant the little bitch was insanely jealous of her relationship with the most wonderful boy in school. Granted, they were no longer "together", but it still pulled at her heartstrings whenever they spoke, whenever eye contact became inevitable, and whenever the other would start to say something, only to be cut off.

She actually had to run from him once, when he began talking about what they had, the beginnings of the most painful sobs bubbling up in her chest. She heard him call out to her, but she didn't turn back.

That had been seven days ago. And now here she was, just beginning to enter the Wisconsin airspace, something terrible knotting inside her stomach.

But there was one person – No two, with the blue eyed one being the first – She found she did not hate, found she could not hate. And while she ran away from the first, here she was running towards the second. The person responsible for everything she had become. For every important thing she had ever done, for every significant moment of her continued existence since that fateful day when she learned she rather care much for dogs or for ghosts.

She was running to Vladimir Masters.

She came to the unpleasant realization that she wasn't quite certain as to how to go about what she wanted to do now that she was there, standing awkwardly under the bright luminescent glare of the castle portico, feeling especially small and vulnerable, all sorts of foolish emanating from how she carried herself with a surprisingly small amount of her usual self confidence. It was a new sensation for her, not being her usual self assured perky girl, but then again, this had whole deal had been new to her entirely.

How exactly was she suppose to pt into words why she had just knew to be here, how she just bolted out of her chair in their dining room with the distinct purpose of seeking out the silver haired man, how she had clearly been in control (Or so she would like to say) as she flew with purpose towards his estate a whole state away?

"Hey Mister Masters. II just realized how badly I wanted to see you again. Ignoring the fact you're old enough to be my father, do you think I could stay the night?"

Oh no, that would never do. You couldn't just walk up to this man and start chatting it up – He was above that, superior to everyone she had ever known and everyone she would ever know . In any case, she would simply die if anyone found out what she really thought of the older man…

So when the large double doors of the citadel swung open from the inside and she came face to face with the smiling billionaire, she was suddenly painfully aware that she had absolutely no business whatsoever for being there, unannounced and uninvited. And on a school night, no less.

"Why hello Miss Gray." There wasn't a hint of surprise in that silken droll, and while the older man spoke with such fluent grace and ease, the teenager found herself at a garbled loss for words. She watched, slightly perplexed as to why he seemed to have been expecting her, and allowed herself to be ushered in – With a hand on her shoulder that caused a million butterflies to bursts forth from her stomach – By the still smiling man into the elegant gold and green foyer of the castle.

"It's lovely to see you again, Miss Gray. I pray you've been feeling well? All your equipment in perfect working order, yes?" She had to pinch herself to bring about a response, distracted by his hand on her shoulder and the way his blue eyes gleamed as he spoke. "Oh yes! It's working fine –" She had to bite down on her tongue. Damn it! Why was she sounding so damn excitable?

The older man chuckled lightly, offering her a seat by the fire. "That's good to know my dear. Now," He turned to her, solemn expression on his face, "May I ask what it is you are doing here on a school night? Surely your father must be worried about you. And young Daniel, why he –"

"He doesn't know I'm here!"

He raised a silken eyebrow at her little outburst, while she in turn clasped her hands over her mouth, mortification growing inside of her. "I see. Well then, to what do I owe this pleasure, Miss Gray?"

"V-Valerie. You can call me Valerie." She felt so ridiculous just then, sitting there uncomfortably and feeling the beginnings of a heated blush forming on her face. She was acting like a grade schooler for fuck's sake! She lowered her olive eyes and gently tugged at the edge of her orange skirt before tentatively raising her eyes to look at the man sitting across her. He was smiling, still, legs crossed and his hands resting on his knee. 'He's so dignified,' The girl thought absentmindedly, tucking a strand of raven hair back behind her ear.

"Alright then Valerie, " Oh how wonderful her name sounded on his lips, "Care to tell me what's bothering you?"

She inhaled sharply, daring to look up at the man in front of her, and wondered vaguely if she would ever live to regret what she did next. "I think I'm falling in love." She watched with baited breath as the man in front of her blinked, looking only slightly taken aback, quickly averting her eyes and choosing to focus on her clasped hands in her lap instead. She could feel him looking at her, but refused to raise her head to meet his azure gaze. She was held in the most constricting hold by some unknown force of emotion inside her, and she was learning to dislike the strangling feeling more and more…

She heard the shuffling of cloth, followed by the rhythmic clicking of heels against a smooth marble floor and the all too familiar feeling of a body too close to her own. A slender hand reached down and cupped her chin gently but firmly, easing her head and forcing her to look up. Emerald met with cobalt and a shade of furious scarlet raced across chocolate colored skin as another set of fingers brushed her raven hair back, pausing to trace the contour of the side of her face.

"Have you really, child?" She shivered at the sound of his voice, smooth and smarmy, and felt her eyes flutter close as she felt the older man lean down towards her, "A most interesting development…"

She whimpered softly, leaning back against the chair she sat on, trying to make herself as small as possible when she felt the seat creak under the weight of the millionaire as he placed his hands on either side of her, closing the gap between the two of them until she could actually feel the heat emanating from his body. "Mister Masters…"

"My dear, I insist you call me Vlad. After all you want me to call you Valerie, correct?"

She forced herself to open her eyes, her breath hitching slightly as she realized just how close he was to her. She took in a shallow breath, inwardly cursing how shaky her voice was, "I really don't want to be," She swallowed hard, locking her gaze on his face, "It's too much hassle."

He leaned even closer, the smile on his face slipping into an all knowing smirk. "Tell me about it, child."

The moment the gap between the two of them closed into nothing and the feeling of lips against lips reminded Valerie of one very important thing.

Sometimes, she really did like showing her feelings after all.

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Holy crap! Rai wrote something on her DP list that didn't have pron! XD Run for the hills and take your wares somewhere else. sigh What can I say – I have far too much respect for Valerie (And a bit of a fangirl's crush) to even begin to think of her naked and doing the nasty and in bed with ANYONE – Although, granted, I do like to think of sweet after sex cuddling between her and one Danny Fenton. So sue me. I think the same goes for Jazz, who I like far too much. So it's safe to say I probably won't write anything graphic for these two fine ladies. Everyone else, however… smirk Anyway, I really enjoyed writing that. Mostly because I actually put myself in Valerie's shoes and poured out most of my thoughts and feelings for dearest Vlad, because the only person who competes for top honors in my heart and in my pants with that guy is Clockwork. Who I also want to imagine about. In bed. With Dan. is shot Anyway, you know the drill. Review me, awesome reader of all my insanity!! X3


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